Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Download & Play

Questions

Newspaper Page Text

THE SHADOW IN THE WELL-b, I
C L ' '
If (Oor-'rtrM W? -h. V-- TnrV Ir.i!(t Co All
rlgbts referred.)
i1 TRX?5"""rt:Vr'"5 ' "nii publli shacic,
'Pi-fP "id every Old woman iu
&i T i j i o village felt like- goingl
ir$ Fy?j ii wrinkled - I I B n
llflsBik Bcharl and tolling liim so
l&iLJ&Sfc&i (o j)S fac( ifri.
si 1)1? daughter, !M 1 1 ri n i--. -a . ;n:cd vcven
torn and unmarried a most disgrace
m fill state nf affairs for a Bengal! girl
Bti face. Her forlorn condition could not
I be due to a lark of comeliness, for she
4 was a beaut v of the statuesque type. It
conld not be traced to auy luck of do
mestic virtues, for all Bhairo knew- that
her fathers properly was due main:;
her management of hi-! pilgrims' 1 . 1 sr 1 1
house. Nrr could it possibly lie due to a
lick of suitor?, for ecn Benares knew
I that a dowry of considerable proportional
Ttnigh'. be wormed out of mi-crly old
Bepin by a young aspirant of skill. Bc-
eides, the persistence of Bani Singh bad
1been bazaar talk for at least two yean
That dowry was the heart of the mat
ter Old Bepin loved hi" rupees beyond
a LI earthly things, and did not look with
I favor upon the ieea of hastily parting
, with them as a marriage portion and it
the same time losing the main prop of
tthii business.
! "By no manner of mean-'" Sssei ed
(Ram Singh, who had n:nn p:ieed the
Bnsty road that leads out from Benares
to Bhairo. '-Thou art old, and il is uot
Beet that the care of thy household
should :onie upon tbec, or upon mqio
I wench brought in for hue."
II The old Hindu gave a grunt of ilisgusl
I But sent the smoke back through the
I ; bowl of his hookah, which Hatu diplo
I pnabcally . kept filled with Calcutts
M tobacco, while he himself puffed
H ettes lise the son of a sahib.
5 "If thou wilt but give her unto me, '
Mas id Ram, blandly, "all will be well.
Jilunnec-sa and 1 will lodge in the hot .
.land she will roniinue i.. prepare- food for
th hungry who .-an pny."
A Matter of Business,
U It was not the first nor the fifth limci
that Bam had hrld out ihis flail, nug m-(
Kduccment to bis would be lather-in
i( But Bepiu alrcxdy knew well enough that,
Kaoi would become a nonpayiug boarder,
3and that with him would probably come
laeveral improvident members of h:s family. I
Jt The daughter In the case hud, of coutw ,
JBo voice in that matter. Her marrli
ifcvas a question of business to be settled
jjfty the bead of the family, The fact that
Jluoncssa detested Ram Singh from the
Hop of his dirty turban to the soles of bis
feel bad no bearing ou the negotiations,
U "lu that esse, what shall the portion
J be'.'' aked B. pin. pla-in; -b . o.U iu
T the bow I of his hookah.
g iv ..n r." plain.' Bam, "I
should .i.v . . .. bundled and tifty rupees.
uIBul siu-e i am .o live m luy liouie, let Ui
( aj uii'. iiULidl d
I "1 have uot ibe balf," protested the old
3k miser.
Ji Baui waved bis bund iu dissent. "All
Btfie village knows, and Benares ulo( that
Uiou ha t live huudie-i' iu Debcudm Natb t
Ibuuk. ' Uii- -as stri- tly true, sud it was
OfUiu Wu"-..-.d. ihdi b.id in -i rough! Ram
'Mb Long aud aiguincu Jiivc was the lalk
Bpii i followed, for the persuasiveness ot
phc suitut and the ubsl-iivj ol the inrsi
lfipuouiu,Li father bud met so many limes
jat the - "" point thai each had acquired
the perfection ol diplomacy. At leiigih
fflktam nrosv, light" nt-d bis lorn cloth about
kirn and walked j.muuly away toward
J0 Biuai'-r i. 1 j ' v . r later Ihe- K.'.' uk
I Lancing girls iu ibc Dalkiinandi quarter
I knew tiiat ihe marriage bad practically
I Ibecu arranged, ihcrc being now onll '
0 it. ,eio e- oi i' n rupees b tween " hat
W Rtaiu demanded and what Uepi.i
' ' '' Istn' 1 'I I" I'a .' 1 ' '"' 1 1 '"' "' 1 Uii
I bsurauce, the -!"' hou-in-law ol
I Rhe inn keeper ua, allowed to contract
I Hertain small debts that night.
9 v ih- rroini of mud hum known
Ihe village of Bhniro is a place of great
ISUCtlty anions i he Hindis. Ages ago a
Buddhist ruler erected hen- a h'ftr pillar;
toward ihe decline of Buddhism in Ben
I ares the Hindu- buill S temple near bj
r.ator came Aurungxebc, ibe Mohatt
nieilan. to tear 'i down and build a
inoi-iie. Miif li bitterness of feelinr was
patched up by a compromise which ended
,oii A day when a fOJISt of the Moslems
coincided with a feast of the Hindus
Two mill prooos.ion! met and there was
milCh breaking nf he-id The fohnnt
nir.bin nprooted ihe Bdddhlsl pillar
(which by ibis time the Hindus . re wor
hipping a. liugam nf Shiv.it and lim
it in pieces. The riotons followers if the
Prophet then nsshed Into Benares,
dragged one of the sacred cows down to
jtbe holy Ganges and pellute-d the- sacred
!rcani with iis blood It was a fearful
'desecration and would have ended in the
j massacre of the entire Moslem populatiouj
(had not the British stepped in with Sepoy
'and loaded rifles. Then the Bhairo
IprleetSJ sullenly selected ihe largest piece
of the broken pillar, covered it over with
slvet copper, painted it red aud invited1
the Bengalis to resume their pilgrimages
to it And the veneration for Ibis relic
of a rival faith was the chief source of
I obi Bepin's prosperity, tor pilgrimages
I bring guests.
The day following Bain Siugh'u visit
was an idle one, but as the sun was siuk
Ing behind the plppal trees that enterpris
ing suitor came tramping iulo Bepin s
place, followed by a group of pilgrims.
Hire be eight uiiu fol ibe uigbl." he
said, "and tbey hove not brought food.'
"CaD they pay ?" demanded Bepiu, wUuse
soul bad long been callous agaiuel tbi ap-
peal of pilgrims who could not,
J - Yeu, and u large price. Tbey dl eai
j much."
"Whence come tbey';"
I "From Bauagbai, by trsiu. They arc
laborers on ibo railway, auU ibe tastviu
jlieogal pSys much money.'
i It is well. Tbey may leep iu the
j Courtyard, where tliere la room tor all. 1
I will tell SlUnbsSMM lo eovk fenXl."
"But my eomuiistsieius ; ' aiU ibe piloi.
"Thai is a matter tor llic morrow -altei
they lijve palel," u Us A' v red UlS euullou-
iuukeepei
'Were Good Katlroad Men.
j The mi.'O ol lUiiut;u.iv Ueu Up lo the
(reputation ol railruuO meu ibe woild ovei.l
I lUey called tor tod e.1 lUe bei and luj
.... il iileuty. They smoked boukuiis audi
CulcutlH cigarettes and lold merry tales'
I of iitvou lUe hiasteru Ueugal Bailway tbut'
.kept Bepiu awake tar Into the uigbl
And Munnessa vsa a weary bundmaldeu ;
urben she- was buaiiy permitted to sueich
out ou a roll of putting and tali sslesp
llarly ou ibe morrow there came lrautb
calls tor more food, uud Uepui began lo
' have uue-asiuess lel they depart with a
'large- and unpaid bill. But at the proper
' time ihe railway pilgrims drew lorili baj-v
L of popper pie-, and silver money aud paid
iu full without haggling Then tbey act
off for the temple of the pillar,
tj One of them, a tall Bengali of about
' twenty, liugtred at tin doorway and beck
oned to Benin. Tbi old man came to ibe
ilt.
I 'i am Haaari Ial Ghnaarl," aid the
I pilgrim, "section workman on the State
Railway between Rannghal snd Bo-
gool.n "
Bepin bowed but wn disi reetjy silent
"Tlie girl who served food is she
j hired r
! "Nay be is my daughter."
"is yiie promised ?"
Vav tbnl i & , the in.ilter is riot yet fin
ished "
"Then T would sp,eak concerning the
mailer when I return from (he temple"
"1 will listen.' said Bcpio simply
"My friends go into Benares to-nighi."
explained (Is sari "but I return to lodge
with line,"
"It ia well " said i he innkeeper.
The village well had Ihe news soon afi-
crward. and here il was that Munnessa
first heard il, a- -he cairn- to draw water
at the sign of the squeaking windlass. Ir
was but natural that ahs should wonder!
which of the right pilgrims wa her pro
spective husband. There were two, she!
remembered, who had regarded her clo-c-1
ly One was a sturdy youth In a blue tur-
ban, the other was an older man with bul
One eve She feared il might be the latier
But she dared not question old Bepin.
nor did be mention the mallei to her. It
wa.s obviously not one of lo-r affair. Bin
'as the evening shadows began lo lengthen
she went to the village well oflener than
was absolutely necessary, and each time
looked down the road that leads to the
temple of the broken pillar
Trunks of Marrying.
j Nightfall brought the pilgrim and it
wai lie blue turban. Muum.-sa brought
water for bim t bathe aud bis food was
ready by the time he had fiuisbed And
it WM of Bepin's best. He ale ulone and
iu silence, watching the girl keenly every
time she appeared, which was frequently
enough. Then be smoked. At last old
i Bepiu bioiigbt out bis hookub, tilled it,
called for SdundcSSS to briug hitn a OOel,
laud puffed away in silence under the briU-
i laut stars.
I When the Incense of tobacco bad eleared
awav the- mists trum the ave-uue-s of
thought, ibe man of Bauaguat spoke-. He
was regularly employed ou the railway, he
said, aud iu favor with the Sahib superin
Iteudeui ol construction. A biaucb liue
was shortly to be buill Bridges and eul-i
veris were lo be made. Many workinvu:
would be employed for many mouth. He,'
Hazarl Bal. had accumulated the sum ofl
Ittty rupees, They were- no iu a bag
around his neck 4Wc ten rupvc bills aud1
their existence COUld be proven. It was'
BOW his thought to lake a wife. With IbcJ
ntiy rupees and the- wife and ihe rupees'
ol tne wMe'S dowry he- would ope-u a lodg
mg house Dear unto the camp of couslruc-j
I lion, li is ibe habit of railway meu to I
spend Ireely. ai. Bepiu perhaps kntW,
I The innkeeper nodded with satisfaction.
I The- llansghst youth continued, BcpluV
: daughter was a comely girl, industrious, j
and pleased him well. Moreover, sbe
Ikuew the manner of conducting an Inn.
'Willi her be would shortly become a ujju
Lf consequence.
Bepm n-ked bow much capita Uaxari
'Lai proposed to mvist iu the enterprise. I
With a hundred rupees 1 shall soon
gam another, hundred,' be answered
1 Bepin made a lightning calculation. The
Ranaghel man had already fifty. It was
erident, Ihc-rcfore, that he would fjpis-i
io receive only fifty in return for ihe
h r of becoming th husband of an un
married daughter. Re Singh's lowest
figure had been seventy rupees. Besides,
there w on M be Bam s relatives to feed,
doubtless On the Other han.l here was
a iikelv routh with a mind in n business
of his own S place where I'.epm might
pas bis closing yea re in peace without
i:r:iinQ upon lb" fi hundred in Deben
dra N'nlh's hank.
Business i- business, however, and so
Bepin protested that forly rupees was the
uttermost limit of his resources.
Hiari Ial, being s railroacl mao. was
!rot to lei ten rupees coma between him
and what be w.ini'd I he bargain was
therefore closed on the basis of forty m
neei definitely and finally. Then Bepiu
went w ithin and sent Muum sa out to get
scquaitrted with her betrothed. Hazari
Bal made no love talk with the future
mi-ire-v of In, liou-c -hold. Thai is u-t tlo-
ay of the Bengali. Instead, be took up,
lb. business sidr of (he f 1 1 r 1 1 r and painted
the prospect iu Such vivid colors that Mun
necaa, who had never known aught butt
drudgery and abuse, also began t" dream
dreams. Besides, theft was a world of
differenie belween Ihis resolute strangi-r1
and that patron of all (he dissolute boles)
of Benares, Bam Singh.
But while Hazari Bal was unfolding
ibe future of Muuneaaaj Bam arrived at'
the mu to colled hie commissions on the
I i
guests w hom be bad piloted to Bhairo I he
evening before. Bepin grudgingly couut--l
out ihe coppers to which be was en-i
titled, after which the Beuurv.s suitor set-)
ile-d himself to lake up tbe dowry negotia
; lions where they had been left the night
! before To bis consternation and auger!
he h-nned thai I In.- s'Tl had a ready been
betrothed lo one of the very guests whom'
ihe bad brougul to ibe door He expressed
jbis feelings iu vigorous Bengali, but,
B. pin placidly puffed away at In; hookah
and lei the young man exhaust his breath. I
And how much is tbe portion." Dually-;
.vKh.r,j il,, disappointed suitor.
'That is a matter between him and1
(me," answered Ueplo,
' "Wbioh of the eight is be?"
The Shadow on the Water.
"lie sits iu ihe courtyard,'' auswe-red
the inukeeper complacently.
Bam took a long look at the ambitious
youth in the blue lurban, thru trodc in
dignantly out of the hut without even
speaking to the man .shrouded in smoke.
Thru be hastened to the JJalkiuiaudi girls
with the slory of his wrongs aud there
learned that the man wbe keea receives
small sympathy from dancing girls.
The neii day Hazari Lai I ramped into
Benares to visit the famoius shrines and
invoke tbe favor of the gode upou his eu
terprise lueideuiall.v be hoped to rejoin
'bis compauious from Bauagbai. At ihe
Well ol Knowledge, which is one ot the
dwelling places of Shiva, whose colossal
ItOUC oull crouches uear by, he im-i iam
jsingh. It was near midday, iud he- did
not know lhal Bam s obsen.uit eye had
'never left bim from the moment he eaiue
down tbe Bhairo highway. The young
railroader was Dot displeased lo sec one
f.inliliar face in tbe great crowd.
"To which of the sacred plaee have
yon made pilgrimage''" a.skr-d Ram, with
a show- of friendly interest.
Hatarl named ibe-m the Sfanikarnlka
Well, which is filled with the perspiration
of Vishnu, the Golden Temple (he Shrine
of Gsnesho and the Well of Knowledge.
J "Then you have not gone to the Well
of Tate?"
i "And what i.s thst?' asked Hazari
j "Oh every pilgrim goes to Ral-Kup,"
WSJ ibe answer. "It is beside the temple
that li near nnto ihe I'own Hatl."
"And w hot is ibs viri UI ? '
' It haf n laru-e Opening in Ihe covering.
When the town clock -trike the hour of
twelve the pilgrim looks through thi
jopening to diseom the frill of the gods
jlf all be well he will svi his shadow on
!lhe water If he ces not his shadow
i lien mnt be die within the balf yesr. It
ia very certain.''
I Hazari reflected A man shoot to n-
jgage in an Important business hpiiil not
lightly disregard sn OppoTtnnlty to learn
if he shall live to see it through
I "Is the oost great"'" he oaked.
I ,rN'nT The priest of rhe temple Is
known trie. I Can arraiig" it for a few
'annas fVitne," and he uteered
toward the Kal-Kup as he had gui-led
many a s-nnple pileriin before
j When tbey reached the we!' they found
J.i group of other pilgrim wading to peer'
jinto their future Rsm tvk the priest!
I :;nd .iii n fr-w worihl to him in s!
low i-iie Thr priest's uleek- face lighted'
jnp and Bam came back to ETatirl
j T have arranged with him for half aj
Irupf-e, as i mstter of friendship." he ej :
j plained confidentially "Others are hre
before tbee, bllt Ihe priest promises to
admit thre firsft of all ''
The Will of the Cods
Hazari transferred the half rupee toi
Ham's waiting palm and they stood in
I silence to await the hour of nexin As
the firM stroke of the be-il sounded Ihe
priest pushed aside ihe Uiore urgent f
the pilgrims and motioned io Hasarl H
I showed him Where to -viand so th.it his
shadow- would naiurally fall ihrongb the
Opening aid lobl him to look intently
Hatarl looked inlently Then lie lor,
more ioteutly. A clammy perspiration
broke ont on his forehead and he leaned
forward in his anxi.ly He could see the
dim reflection of sunlight upon putrid
priei was patient HaaarTs gloom deep
ened as Ihe second man gave n grrat out
cry of joy and pointed to his distinet
shadow in the water below.
As riaz.iri stood gazing despondently m
'the direction of the WCllf which had been
to him the Well of Doom, Bam drew
neir in the cnise of ii comforter.
I "The gods of the Benares are many and
grarious," he 6aid consolingly "There
may be i wst in which to avert the
j calamity "
A look of appeal and hope came into
ihe eyes of (lie man of Banaghnt.
"Wail thou here until I have speeeh
again with the priesl If there be a door
of -. ipe i t l ill show it to me for frb-r.d
, ship's sake "
Another whispered conversation foi-
Jowed and Bam came back gloomily,
i ' There ia a way." he said, "but the
cost thereof is too high."
' "How high''" n-ked the railroad man.
I ,
grasping at the straw
Pilgrims hae paid unto the temple as
much as live hundred rupCSS tO break the
j spell of doom," said Ihe shrewd Rani,
w iii hing Ihe other's fare. "I could seeuro
ii r,r one hundred, bnt a sum like t'nat is
'beyond thee."' This was said in a tone of
finality, ts one bids farewell lo another
'at the gate of death.
I "I have but tifty rupees," said Hajari
"I will wpe.ik again with tne priest, but
I fe.ir there is no hope "
When Bun and the prT put theirj
beads together a long anrl whispered
argument resulted. As oon as the priest'
had beeD told of tbe pilgrim's hasty
betrothal lo the daughter of five hundred
rupees h! gambling instiuct suggested
dels Bepin, himself in mortal fear of
do- probably would supply another
fifty and the doomed man would duly ap
pear at the temple on the morrow- with
the full hundred Bam favored immediate
acceptance of the fifty on the ground that
8 bird in the hand is worth many flying,
ami even offered to reduce bis own com
uiiitMon on tho transaetiou. But the priest
was nrm. There was no other temple
in Indi:. I bat could set aside the verdict
of Kal-Kup. aud an extra fifty rupees
wa worth a day s wait.
Bam regretfully explained to Hazari
thai the ritual of averting death was very
OS tly, and the priesl could not rediie'e the
,in e. eveu for friendship to Bam. Then
ic blandly suggested that Hazari return
to Bhairo and solicit the other lift) from
Bepin,
Bnt this was not Hn alluring prospect to
Hazari. He was standing amid the ruins
of his air castle, for ihe payment of even
ISlllf
... "
water, but there wa not a vestige of
shadow
He called aloud to ihe pries! and bade
him also look. The priest peered iulo the
well and ihen sadly shook bis head.
It is tbe will of the gods," he said.
The death will coine within six months
But thyself bo readinoss to meet it."
Great consternation spread among the
pilgrim at this announcement, and thej
made way for Uaiari to pass through
their midst Just as if il ere his
'funeral procession already passing. It
(was some minutes before another pilgrim
'ventured io approach the well, but the
tifty rupees woubl leave him penniless. He
itheu told Bam Singh about tbe railroad
lodging house which was lo be at Baua-
Ighat, and the recital gave the rejected
isuitor inward satisfaction. He knew that
Bepin w-ould m-w regard the matter oA the
marriage in a very different light Then
he sel Hazari on the way to Bhairo, prom
ising lo see liim at the- ion thai evening.
I On the steps of the temple had been
standing au intereMted observer of Bain's
1 negotiatons, a tail Hiudu wilh a lurban
that marked him as a man of a differeni
faith. It was Sailer Bui Shaik, the
Mohammedan, drofesslonal guide, and,
I therefore, a business rival Of Bam. Sailer
Bui had recently lost the patronage of
some Bnglish ladies from Calcutta through Eti
the chicanery of Ram Singh, and his soul
rankled. The Mohammedau decided that RV-' V'
heaven had sent bim a chance to get even. BV
Keeping Hazari in sight a he wended m'' '
Ins sorrowful way through tbe crowd, mt-X i
8aller Bin waited until he nearcd the out- ' K?'-'.' I
Rkirt of the nalive city and then bore BL'V .
down upon him. Little by little he ex- M' 'j
traeted an account of Hazards life and of PU'
the (rouble at the Well of Fate, which was Wf '
whit he had guessej it to be. I
With the zeal ,,f a true son of the B I
prophet, backed Up by the satisfaction of K
evening Ins score with IUm, Sailer Bui R I
Shed a great light on the matter B
"Kal Knp is not well, bnt a trap tc It": '
catch pilgrims and skin their eve teeth,"
declared the Mohammedan. "Did you see W I
l priest who was not fat? '
; Hazari rememJrot th)lt ,bc pr!est flt E
.ihe WeJ did not show traces of emacia- B
tion. Jfj?
"Why are thry far"'" demanded Sailer
Bux. "Because tbey reed on (he rupees of . fl
pilgrims who ee no shadow in the well." W''
Bui d,e second man saw his shadow " jf
.protested Hazari bitterly.
j Trick of the Priests. "w
"He wbnld not have .eeD it had he been S "
the first to look." said the Mohammedan. .
"f.isten to rne. Tijo h0e , go placed that f
ihe shadow e8n Ke exactly at noon a
not a minute before. But the clocks of k
. Benares are all set with Madras time
a railroad man ongb -o know that and t
i Madras time, is several minutes slow. You
j looked into the well the clock began to f
; strike twelve, Madras rime, and you could f
i not possibly see anything. It is an old
trick of the priest's." f
Wb.n Bailer Bui saw rhM Hazari still
bad lingering fear he bade himself ? to f,
lb railway sutloo and assure bimef f.'
with regard to the Bonn res clocks. The V
man of Ra-oaghat starred on the trot, for f
be well knew that the feab!b station mas- I
ter woubl seak w-rd of treth. P;
Half an hour later Hasarl was on his 't '
way '-.ward Bhairo with n great load
lifted from his soul, but with hot indig- if-.'
nation against the perpetrator of the F
triek, who had so nearly brought bim to p ,
ruin. To Bepin he told the story, and p- ,
Bepin confirmed the fact abont BeDares v '
time, H
As twi light fell np,,n the Tillage Ram V
Singh sauntered into Bepin's place, buoy- X
in- md hopeful. He inquired for Hazari.
Beriin, purring away at his hookah, silently F
pointed to the courtyard, Ram went out .
to s"ek the man of Ranashat L
' And he found him. And the man -if 1
Ranaghat arose- In :he sir. ugth with which if'
he was wont to pound the spikes. He 1
fell upon Bam Singh and smote hini with 1
increasing delight until Ram broke from
his clutches and went fleeing in the direc- t.
tion Of Benares. IfeanWhile Bepin calmly f
puffed away without sbakiug 3D ash from fc
his hookah.
If you chance to pass Ranghat. on the If-"
Eaatera Bengal, perhaps your eye may
li-rbt nimn n nenf rrmd boosp i-orered wilh
red tiles ;ind decorated with a sign which
D the Bengali tongue- offers high grade
lodging for man and beast. IuMdc you
'will lind a prosperous young Bengali .H
listening to (ales told by the bridge build- ILH
i-rs on the branch road, while, a sleek young f
matron is singing a lullaby between inter-
vaN of sharp directions to servants who
;are bending over the cooking in the court-
nd In side the tire, with his legs crossed H
under him, is a worn and wrinkled Bengali,
J who will tell you that he was once keeper i
-of a pilgrims' inu nigh unto Benares
And the rings of smoke that rise from bis
inseparable hookah remind him of the
'round rupees that repose safely in tbe
strong bos of Debeudra No'h. I
Virginia Farmers Reject Yellow
Baclu When Mr. Perkins
Offers Temptation. j
C EN their adamant prejudice agnnst L
taking au sctivc Interest in anything
mumJanc was overcome by the (ail
di nts of Bamont, Va , some time ago
M ben eicorge l'erkins' private car,
Hit Hecate, was drawn onto the siding
liar the railroad station. H
Scarcely had the brakes stopped the
. a la t ia 1 car when Mr. l'erkins stepped H
onto li"' platform and looked about for a 1
! horse and carriage which he had ordered
by telegraph to meet him.
No such telegram bad been received ib
' K.sruont. aud the operator in that thriv
ing community "reckoued" that nons I
w.uild be rec-eived until Monday morning,
'ihe wires were not iu ibe babit of beiog
, worked on Sundays Tbe agent at the
I Motion where Mr. Perkins had wrkten
the telegram had no power to hold up a 1
al train, but be could fail to scad
jibe despatch.
Mr Perkins' destmatlcn was a consider
oblc distance from tbo railroad station
nod be did not feel like walking When 1
the heard it rumored among tbe onlookera
pybo had gothcri-d to 'npect the Hecate
.i- a tug ro'igio.is meeting was to be j
held at ion Hall oe took iiart, for that I
wouid mean that muuy horses and car
riages would pass bj th station
So, fortified with a generous roll of t'
p:iper money, he waited for the preces-
.sion of vehicles. When at last they ap
peared all were travelling in the wrong
direction, but Mr Terkins did all in his
power, with a display of green and yel- II
low bills, to persuade souie farmer to r
turn round aud take bim to hi desti- j
None would accept pay on Sunday, uor I
would they, in rfspouae to verbal ap
:peabs that might have wrung the heart
of a stone, give tbe man who had millions If-
1 61 dollars at his disposal a gratuitous
"lift." He seemed to have business to
I transact, and this was a violation of Sab- H
bath propriety in which noue would par- J
ticipate, however remotely
i At last a young German, who was ac-
customed to a Continental Sunday, took j
Mr Perkins to bis destination, and as a L
Ljuoas to the whole- affair refused with f
Ign it indignation to accept mouey for
I Upon bis return to tbe Hecate Mr.
IVrkins discharged his debt to Hie com- I
,,,; v nt ,;p. by having the chef serve I
raspbern I lbroUsh lhe wrni, 1
to tbJ children snd g.e a case of beer
to tbe station master.